Third Time's a Charm
by Rakumei
Summary: [AU] Syaoran is the prince of the Genie Realm who have been Imprisoned in a bottle. Enter Sakura, highschool girl who accidentally realeses him. When feelings grow deeper,will the force that Imprisoned Syaoran will forever part them?
1. Prologue

**A/N**: Well, I'm back from my long journey, I mean, hiatus. ;

Anyway, enjoy the story, it's new and improved version of 'Love Is Magic'

**Disclaimer**: CCS does not belong to me, it belongs to CLAMP and always will be.

**Third Time's a Charm**

**Prologue**

In another dimension, not so far from that of where humans live, there lived a race call the Genie, who were like humans in all aspects but one: the had magic abilities.

The Genie divide into seven clans and our story begins in one such clan, the Li Clan...

-

Lord Cheng of the Li Clan, King of Li'ko, the land that belonged to his clan since forever, paced to and fro in the hallway, occasionally stopping next to a certain door and trying to listen to what was going on on the other side, then resumed his pacing.

A man, a little older than him, came from the end of the hallway and walked up to him, smiling, Cheng stooped his pacing and greeted the man, "Hello, Wei."

"Hello, Lord Cheng," Wei returned the greeting and at seeing how nervous the man before was, he placed a claming hand on the other man's shoulder, "Relax; you've gone through this before, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have, and remember how nervous I was then?" Cheng half smiled at the memory.

"Oh, I remember," Wei said, "I had to give you three glasses of wine for you to relax." He chuckled, remembered how "relaxed" his king has been after those three glasses.

Suddenly, the door the two of them have been standing in front of opened and a woman with robed bearing the Li Clan Symbol appeared.

Cheng was very nervous when he asked, "Well?"

The doctor smiled and motioned for him to come inside, "You can come now, Your Highness."

Cheng nodded to Wei in farewell and walked into the room, the doctor closing the door behind, to give more privacy.

Cheng smiled when eyes met those of the woman's who sat in the bed, cradling a bundle of blankets.

The woman, though tired-looking and with black hair matted in sweat, still looked very regal. When she saw Cheng, she smiled, "Come Cheng,

Come see our son."

Cheng approached the bed and very carefully took the baby from his wife's arms, and he looked down to see his son for the first time.

He was red, little and wrinkly, with a fluff of brown hair on his head, but Cheng could this boy is strong.

"What shall we name him, Yelan?" He asked his wife.

"How about you name him?" Yelan suggested, "after all, I named our daughters."

"Good idea." He agreed, "Now let's see..." at that moment, the baby opened big amber-brown eyes, looked at his father for a moment and started to wail.

Cheng immediately gave him back to Yelan, who just breastfed him, like she's done before with his sisters, when he had enough, he fell sleep again.

"He has quite powerful lungs, doesn't he?" She joked.

"Yes, that was the quite a howl-" he stopped, his eyes widening, he looked at his wife with a smile, "I think I've found the perfect name for him."

"What is it?" Yelan asked in curiosity.

In a fatherly pride, Cheng said, "His name is Xio Lang."

-

Not so far from Li'ko, one shadowed figure smiled in the dark, "The time has come." She said.

-

**A/N**: Well, that's it for the prologue, how did you like it?

Please, R&R!


	2. Chapter 1: The beginning

**A/N:** Here is the first chapter, enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: CCS belongs to the CLAMP.

**Third Time's a Charm**

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

-The Human World, Tomoeda, Japan-

-The Present-

The alarm clock rang at exactly 6:30 a.m. And the person who slept on the bed went up and shut it off.

The moment the first one was off, the second alarm clock went off, and once again, the person shut it, more awake now, but still wanting to stay in the comfortable warmth of her bed.

The third alarm clock rang, and this time, Sakura finally awoke fully, sat in her bed, and turn off the last alarm clock that was on her shelf, yawned and stretched.

_So you're finally awake, huh?_ A voice was heard from the direction of feet where her cat laid, he hadn't uttered a word, but Sakura could hear him in her mind.

"Good morning, Kero." She said, smiling sleepily at him.

Kero was what she called him, but his true name was Cerberus.

_You know, it's very annoying to wake up ever day to the sound of that thing,_ He said, lazily stretching, his claws scratching the blanket lightly.

"I know, Sakura said and got out of bed, "but I need it, you know."

_Yes, I know, you love sleeping as much as I do,_ Kero said, his amusement very clear.

Sakura grinned and nodded and then got dressed in her high school uniform, and combed her short hair in front of the mirror.

"Bye, Kero." Hearing no response, she turned and discovered that her cat was fast asleep.

Smiling, she went out of her door and left a gap, to let Kero out when he will wake.

She went down the stairs and entered the kitchen and immediately stopped in her tracks, because there, standing near the stove and wearing an apron was her older brother, Touya.

"Good morning," He greeted, looking up.

"Good morning," She said in confusion, "don't you have another hour until you go to work?"

Touya turn off the stove came to the dining table and put on it a plate of pancakes.

"I didn't feel like sleeping, so I woke up," He explained and took off his apron, hung it on the wall and moved to sit in a chair, looking at Sakura, "You better eat these now, if you don't want to be late for school."

Sakura sat down, and turned her toward a picture of a woman that was on the table, "Good morning, Mom." She greeted and then she started to eat.

Ten minutes later, she had finished, put her plate in the sink, gone to her room to get her bag and went to the front door.

She put her rollerblades and stood up.

"I'm off!" She called.

"See you later, Kaijuu!" Touya called back from the kitchen.

"I'm not a monster!" Sakura's reply came automatically, it was always the same every morning, and she closed the front door and rolled to school.

-

Hours later, Sakura returned, a bit tired after the long day at school.

"Tadaima." She called to the empty house and took off her rollerblades and went to her room, she changed clothes ad went back downstairs, along with Kero who was awake.

She checked the board in the kitchen and saw that her brother was at work, and her father won't return from his excavation until tomorrow.

"I guess it's just you and me again, Kero." She said to her cat.

_You made it sound like a bad thing,_ He indignantly said.

"Sorry, it sometimes seems that even with Dad and Onii-chan, I'm still always alone." She said ruefully.

_You have me,_ Kero rubbed against her leg.

"You're right." She agreed and petted him

-

After eating lunch, Sakura went back to her room and started on her homework, after a while she stared at the assignment her literature teacher gave the class. It was to write a paper about mythological creatures.

Sakura stared at the page and remembered that her father has some books about other and ancient culture, maybe she can find there what the paper required.

So with mind set, she went down the stairs and to the back of the house, where her father's study was located. She entered it, went down the few steps that were there and looked around.

There were shelves upon shelves of books, and she started her search. She went book after book after book, reading the titles that were on their spines, "myth…mythological…'Legends and Mythological creatures'!" She stopped and took out the book and started leafing through it, she went to a nearby desk and put the book on it and continued to read.

She continued to leaf through the book until she came upon a few pages that looked promising, in her haste to go get her notebook, she didn't notice the artifact that sat on the table until her elbow smacked right into it.

"Ah!" She cried and tried to save the bottle from falling, but to no avail. She closed her eyes, already hearing her brother, _"You broke one of Dad's artifacts? How clumsy can you be? But I suppose that's normal for a monster."_, and expected to hear the crash any moment.

But when silence was the only sound, she cautiously opened her eyes and saw that the curved bottle, green bottle with a pink thread looping around it, was on in side, opened, the cap rolling to one side, but otherwise intact.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Sakura moved to pick up the bottle, but suddenly green smoke began to come out of it and she jumped back in surprise.

The smoke continued to pour out and rise until the mass of green smoke seemed about her height. And then, as quickly as it began, then it was gone to reveal a boy about her age, a little taller than her, his brown hair overshadowing his eyes, which were closed.

He wore flowing green robes, and on his left arm a green ribbon of cloth was tied and it had depicted a profile of a wolf's head, turning left, and all of was surrounded by a circle.

After the initial shock wore off, Sakura asked, "What _are_ you?" The boy opened his eyes to reveal clear amber-brown and stared at her.

"I'm a Genie," He answered in a pleasant deep voice.

"Genie? Like in 'Aladdin'?" Sakura asked, confused.

"No, not what you humans define a genie," He snorted and continued, "I'm from a race called the Genie, we're just like, only we can do magic."

Sakura blinked, "Well, that explained it." She finally said.

"Who are you?" The boy bluntly asked.

"Kinomoto Sakura, you?" She asked him in return.

The boy crossed his arms and in a tone of voice that sounded rehearsed said, "I'm Lord Xio Lang of the Li clan."

"Xi…Xio…" Sakura struggled his name a few minutes.

"You can call my Syaoran," He said helpfully.

"Well, Syaoran-san," She finally asked, "did you really come out of that bottle?"

Syaoran quirked an eyebrow, "You were the one of released me, right?" Upon seeing her confused expression, he added, "Open the bottle; you were the one who did, right?"

"Well, I did…by accident." She sheepishly smiled.

"Accident or no, you released me, which makes you my master," Syaoran said.

"Master?" Sakura asked.

"Mistress," He corrected himself and looked around the room, "When and where we are?" He asked again with that rehearsed tone.

"The beginning of the 21st century and this is my father study, in Tomoeda, Japan." She answered.

"21st?" he said and murmured, "I was in that bottle longer than I expected…"

"What?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Nothing," He said," Now, about your wishes-" But he was stopped by Sakura's hand stopped him.

"I have a feeling this is going to take a while, so let's go to my room instead of standing here." And with that, she picked up the bottle and closed it with the cap, went out of the study with Syaoran following and went to her room, where she sat on her bed and held the bottle on her lap while Syaoran remained standing with his arms crossed.

"OK, shoot." She told him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"It mean, start explaining." Sakura clarified.

"Oh," He said and continued, "well, our contract is for three months and it will end in the last day of these three months, at midnight."

"So, until then I can wish for whatever I want?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes, but you can only make one wish per day, no more." Syaoran said, "But there are rules."

"Rules?"

"First of all, I don't kill anyone, so don't even ask," From his tone of voice, Sakura could understand that he wasn't joking.

"Second, I can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else, it's not in my power to do that," He paused for breath, Sakura waited for him to talk again.

"And third, I can't bring back the dead, it's impossible." And with that he finished talking.

Sakura was surprised, "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Well-" Sakura started saying, but she forgot what was is she wanted to say because her bedroom door opened and there stood Touya.

"Onii-chan!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise and quickly put the bottle behind her back, "You're back from work early," She added weakly.

"Yeah, the manager told us to wrap it up early," He explained and looked around her room, "Were you talking to anyone? I heard your voice."

"Just myself," She life and smiled sheepishly, apparently Touya couldn't see Syaoran.

Touya looked skeptic but shrugged, "Ok, whatever," he said, "I'm going to make dinner, are you coming?" He looked at her.

"In a minute," She said and watched Touya close her door and listened until he was down the stairs and out of earshot.

She sighed in relief and brought the bottle back to her lap and looked at Syaoran, "What was that?" She asked, refereeing to what had just happened.

"I can turn invisible to anyone but you," He explained, "but if you want, I can turn visible to the people that you want to see me."

Sakura was impressed, "Nice trick."

"It can be handy." He shrugged.

"Sakura!" He brother's voice called.

"Coming!" She shouted back.

"I'll be back later." She told Syaoran, who was looking out of her window and saw that on his back was a strange symbol: a flame and in the center of it a bird was flying, and all of it was surrounded by a circle.

As she closed the door behind her, she made a mental note to ask Syaoran about it and the ribbon with the wolf's head later.

-

An hour later, Sakura returned with a plate of food. She had to convince Touya that she was a growing teenager and as such needed the extra food. Touya just shrugged and said, "If you get fat, don't come crying to me."

Sakura opened her door and saw that Syaoran sat on the floor, looking at her.

"Here," She said and gave him the plate. He took it from her without a word.

Finally he said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sakura smiled and went to finish her homework as Syaoran ate.

Half an hour later, Sakura was done and went to kitchen with Syaoran's empty plate and put it in the sink. She couldn't see Touya and figured that he was probably in his room or out dating and Kero was probably prowling about somewhere.

She came back to her room, went to her closet and took out a futon, a blanket and a pillow, all of it, she handed to Syaoran.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back." She said, took with her pajamas and left for the bathroom.

When she was back Syaoran had taken of his robes, and remained with the white shirt and pants that was underneath. He folded the robes and then the ribbon with the wolf's head and put them behind his pillow.

He went to his futon and got beneath the blanket and turned left, away from Sakura bed.

"Good night." Sakura said quietly, turned off the light and went to her bed.

"Good night." The muffled reply came.

And the day came to an end.

-

**A/N**: And that's it for chapter one!

Dictionary: Tadaima- I'm home.

Onii-chan is Big Brother.

Please, R&R!


	3. Chapter 2: Dreams and Reality

**A/N:** Chapter 3!

**Disclaimer:** CCS is owned by CLAMP

**Third Time a Charm**

**Chapter 2: Dreams and Reality**

_"Not so fast," The woman had said and then he felt himself freeze, and suddenly, to his surprise, his hands moved on their own and came_ _together in front of him, like someone has tied his wrists with invisible ropes._

_He felt his legs drop to the ground, and in the next moment he was on his knees, unable to move, looking up to the cold eyes of the woman…_

…_She put her hand up, against his head, and started chanting something very fast, and he couldn't understand her, but he did understand her last word, "Sealed!" and then something began to form on his wrists until it finally materialized: gold bracers._

…_The woman opened the bottle and smiled, "Have fun."_

_And he started to be surrounded by green smoke…_

-

Syaoran awoke with a start. He looked frantically around the room until he realized that he was in Sakura's room, and apparently, if the light that filtered through the cracks in the shutter was any indication, it was dawn.

He put his hand on his forehead, heaving a relieved sigh. He noticed that his forehead was covered in sweat.

_I haven't dreamt about it in a long time, I wonder why…?_ He thought as he calmed down.

He felt the familiar pressure of the locket against his neck and clasped at it through his shirt, he knew what was inside the gold tube of it, a rolled piece of parchment with a few lines written on it.

_**Three times the wolf shall be owned**_

_**The third is the last, where between two he must choose**_

_**And an end to all will come**_

He always took comfort in that last line, _'And an end to all will come', will it really come? _He thought, and his hand gripped the locket more tightly.

Suddenly, a loud ringing interrupted Sayaoran reverie and he looked up to see Sakura's hand rise up from the blanket and tap the thing, thus ending the ringing.

After a few minutes and two more things Sakura has turned off, she sat in bed, rubbing her eyes and smiled sleepily when she Syaoran.

"Good morning," She greeted.

"Good morning," He said and looked at the things on Sakura's shelf, "What are those?"

"These?" She touched one, "They're called alarm clocks, I need them to wake me up, and otherwise I'll be late for school every morning."

"Do you need three of them?" He asked curiously.

"Well, _I_ need three of them," She said, "I set them half an hour early because I wanted to ask you a few things."

"What is it you want to ask?" He inquired and thought that maybe talking with her will calm him down.

"First off, what are those symbols on your back and on your ribbon?" She asked.

He smiled, "The symbol on my back is the Li Clan Symbol: the phoenix rising from the ashes."

"And the one on the ribbon?"

"The symbol on my ribbon is my Name Emblem. It depicts the meaning of one's name. I'm Xio Lang which means 'Little Wolf'."

Sakura was now very curious, "Does everybody in your dimension wear those symbols?"

"Name Emblem and Clan Symbol are both worn by nobility,

Those who aren't can choose if to wear a Name Emblem, but all must wear the Clan Symbol. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, thank you for explaining," She smiled, but then she saw something, "Hey, Syaoran?"

"Yes?" He said.

"What do you hide under you sleeves? I saw something twinkle." She said.

Syaoran eyes widened and he looked at his hands, true enough, his sleeves didn't completely cover the bracers. He looked at them for a minute and then shrugged, better now than never.

"This is what my sleeves cover," He said and rolled his sleeves so that his wrists were in plain sight.

Sakura was surprised, "What are those things?" She bent a little closer to look at them.

"They are called Imprisonment Bracers," He answered with disgust.

"Imprisonment?" She repeated and looked at her desk where the bottle was and back at syaoran, "You're a prisoner?"

He looked at her with pained eyes, "You think I would be in that bottle of my own free will?" He said.

Than, Sakura remembered that when she woke up Syaoran was clutching his shirt front.

"What do you have inside your shirt?" She was curious to know.

Again, Syaoran just shrugged and took out his locket from the inside of his shirt and held it for her to see. "This is what I have inside my shirt," he said.

"What's in that locket?" She asked.

Syaoran clutched the locket tightly in his fist, and all he said was, "My fate."

Before Sakura could ask more questions there was a knock on the door and then Touya's voice, "Oi, Sakura, if you don't hurry, you'll be late!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" She called back and listened to her brother's footsteps until she could no longer hear it, and then she turned to Syaoran.

"Well, I guess I'll continue with my questions later." She said and got out of bed, grabbed her uniform and before closing the door she looked back, "Can you open the window, please?"

"Sure." He said and she closed the door and he listened to her footsteps until another door opened and closed.

He got out of the futon and put on his green robes and tied his ribbon to his arm. After checking that everything was in place, he rolled the futon, blanket and pillow and put them back in the closet.

He opened the window just when Sakura got back to her room after she was in the bathroom and had eaten breakfast.

"Thank you," She said, referring to the window and slung her bag on her shoulders, "Do you want to come with me to school or you want to say here?" She asked.

"I think I'll stay here." He said, crossing his arms.

"OK, your choice," She shrugged, "and if you want breakfast, it's on the table, if my brother hadn't put it in the refrigerator."

"All right." He said and nodded, Sakura nodded back and got out of room and closed the door behind her.

-

Syaoran waited patiently until Sakura's brother had left, to come down to the kitchen and eat breakfast.

After he had eaten and cleaned the plate, so no one other than Sakura would know there was another person in the house, he went back to Sakura's room and looked around.

He saw a bookcase with all kinds of books on it; he leafed through a few, and vowed to ask Sakura later what those books are talking about.

He also made a mental note to ask her about that black box that was sitting on a low table in the corner and a long, flat silver box that was beneath it.

After checking the entire room, he soon grew bored, and stood still in the middle of the room.

_She said she was in that 'high-school' of hers,_ He thought and smiled, _maybe it's time to have a look at that thing._

He closed his eyes and sensed for Sakura's presence, he detected it and than he disappeared from Sakura's room…

…To reappear in Tomoeda High.

He opened his eyes and discovered that he was in a classroom of some sort. The teacher talked and the students dutifully wrote in their notebooks. Syaoran looked and discovered Sakura, sitting by the window, also writing.

When Sakura looked up from her notebook to look at the teacher, her eyes drifted to the door where Syaoran stood, and her eyes widened in surprise. But she didn't do anything, and so she acted normal until class was over.

The minute the teacher was out, Sakura stood up at once, told the girl behind her, "I'll be back in a minute." And walked quickly to the door.

When she reached the door, she muttered from the corner of her mouth, "Come with me." And walked through the door, with Syaoran following.

The walked until Sakura stopped in front of an empty classroom and motioned to Syaoran to come inside.

After they were both inside, Sakura closed the door and whirled around to face him. "What are you doing here!" She said.

"I have decided to see what that high-school is all about," He said as he crossed his arms.

"I thought you said you were going to stay at home," Sakura said, a little annoyed.

"I have changed my mind," He said, and looked at Sakura, he added, "Am I disturbing you by coming here?"

She looked taken aback, "No, no, it's just that you surprised me, that's all."

Suddenly her eyes widened as an idea struck, "Hey, in the next break, can I intro duce you to two friends of mine?" She asked.

"Sure, if that's what you want," Syaoran said.

"Great, meet me in an hour, in the school yard." She said.

"Yes, Kinomoto-sama." He nodded.

Sakura frowned, "Don't call me 'sama'; I'm not nobility or anything like that."

"How about Kinomoto-san?" He asked.

She smiled, "That'll do for now." She said and opening the door, she looked back at him, "Remember, one hour." She reminded and left.

Syaoran remained in the classroom a couple more minutes and then he left too. He wandered the halls of the school, until he reached a room where there was a sign that read, 'Office'. The door to the room was opened, so he peered in.

A man, probably in his fifties, sat behind a desk and listened to a woman, who was about ten years younger was saying. The woman held a sheet of paper and was saying, "Here is the lists of the new students who are suppose to arrive, sir."

"Very good, now can you read them to me, Kumiko?" The man said and turned to look at a gray box.

"Certainly, sir." Kumiko replied and started reading the names from the paper.

Syaoran realized that once you're on that list, you are considered a student. He also realized that he has a lot to learn about the world,since it changed much when he was at that bottle,and his best chance to learn would be here.

Without even thinking about, he started to act.

He closed his eyes, _Link,_ he thought and immediately started sending the next message, _Li Syaoran_, over and over, in the space of two seconds each.

When the woman called Kumiko said, "Li Syaoran," Syaoran smiled and thought, _abort_, and opened his eyes, the man and the woman wasn't the least bit suspicious that something haschanged, and so, he left.

-

While walking to the school yard, he reflected on what just happened. He succeed in doing what was known as Link Telepathy, he never was able top succeed in it, back when he was in Li'ko. His mother would be proud, he smiled, then he frowned, _that is if I ever get the chance to tell her,_ he thought grimly.

When he reached the school yard, he saw Sakura talking to two people, he got closer.

"Well, we've been here for ten minutes, where is he?" The girl Syaoran saw earlier in Sakura's class said.

"I guess he's not coming," The boy next to her said.

"I guess so," Sakura agreed grimly, "sorry to trouble you, Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun." She said in apology.

"Don't worry about it, we'll just meet some other day," The girl Sakura called Tomoyo said.

"Yeah, don't be down," The boy called Eriol said.

And then the two said goodbye to Sakura and walked away.

"These were the people you want me to meet?" Syaoran asked and Sakura jumped in surprise and turned to look at him.

"_Where_ have you been?" She hissed.

"There was something I had to attend to," He said.

"What things?" She asked, suspicious.

"I will tell you about it, when you come back to your house." He said.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, but all she said was, "Okay."

-

When Sakura returned from school, Syaoran was already waiting for her in the bedroom.

"Okay, Syaoran-san, what was that something you had to attend to?" She asked and sat down on her bed.

"I will tell you, but firstly, can you change the suffix, 'san' makes me feel old." He said.

"Fine then, howdoesSyaoran-_kun_ sounds?" She asked.

"Much better," he smiled then he turned serious once again, "The something I had to attend to was my 'application' to your school."

"Application?" She repeated, understanding slowly dawning, "meaning…"

"Yes, from tomorrow I will be attending your school." He said nonchalantly.

"_What!_" She cried, and apparently a little too loud, because the next moment, Sakura's door flew open to revealed middle-aged man with brown hair and glasses.

"Sakura, is everything okay with you?" He asked in concern.

Sakura looked at him, "I'm fine, Dad, really." She smiled.

"What were you shouting about?" Kinomoto Fujitaka still looked concerned.

"Nothing, I just remembered that I forgot to tell Tomoyo-chan something, that's all." She said sheepishly.

"Oh, okay." Her father relaxed.

Sakura looked at him a remembered, "Dad, why are you home already? I thought you will be back late."

Fujitaka grinned, "The flight left early, that's why I'm home earlier than expected,", He turned to leave, "Dinner will be ready in two hours." And he closed the door behind him as he left.

-

A few hours later when Sakura was in bed and Syaoran was in the futon, Sakura said, "You know, maybe having you as a classmate won't be so bad, after all."

"Probably," Syaoran agreed, "Good night."

"Good night." And Sakura turned off the light.

As Syaoran settled in his futon, he thought that maybe being three months with Sakura won't be so bad. Just as he was about to fall asleep with the idea of becoming friends with her, something stopped him at once.

The images of things he swore to never forget flowed through his memory. He didn't want another incident like the two before happening; he didn't want Sakura to end up like that too.

And with a resolution to keep his distance, he fell asleep.

-

**A/N:** And that's the end of chapter two.

Please, R&R!


	4. Chapter 3: Friends

A/N: Here's chapter 3! And look, its long!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine.

Third Time's a Charm

Chapter 3: Friends

In the morning when Sakura returned to her room after breakfast, she was surprised to find that Syaoran was still dressed in his usual robes.

"Aren't you going to change?" She asked as she closed the door.

"I am going to change now." He said.

Sakura immediately put her hand back on the doorknob.

"Then, I better leave."

"No need," He said coolly and Sakura turned to look at him, curious.

Syaoran closed his eyes and his clothes vegan to change. They changed and twisted until finally, there was Syaoran, fully dressed in the boys' uniform of her school.

He opened his eyes, looked at his clothes and smiled a small smile of satisfaction, and looked at Sakura, his expression serious again.

Sakura was very surprised, "How did you do that?"

"My robes can change their appearance," He explained, "A Genie's robes can do that once the Genie comes of age."

"Comes of age? Like when you're twenty? (1)" Sakura asked.

Syaoran smiled, "Genies have a different definition to coming of age than humans do. It basically means that a Genie's magical abilities are fully awakened."

Sakura listened intently, taking in all of this new information.

Syaoran continued, "Every Genie is born with magical abilities, only until he or she comes of age, it can only be used in small amounts. Coming of age can occur between the ages of fifteen till thirty, and once it does happen, the Genie is considered an adult." He finished explaining.

All Sakura could say was, "Wow." And then she remembered what she out to be doing. She handed Syaoran a bag that looked old, "That was my brother's, but you can you that now, and later, we'll buy everything that you will need."

"Thank you," He said.

"You better go to school now, before me, so no one would get suspicious."

"Sure." Syaoran agreed and immediately vanished.

Sakura left the house three minutes later.

-

When she arrived to school, Syaoran was already there.

She was just about to greet him when someone behind her called, "Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura jumped and turned around. "Don't do that!" She said and placed a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The girl immediately apologized and looked worried.

"It's okay, just don't that again, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura smiled and looked at the girl, who also smiled.

Daidouji Tomoyo was Sakura's best friend and second cousin. With her long dark hair, amethyst eyes and fair complexion, it was no wonder that the people in the school have dubbed her "The Porcelain Princess".

Sakura turned around to find that Syaoran was gone.

Probably at the school, she thought and turned back to Tomoyo.

"Who was the boy you were about to talk to?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

Sakura tried not to flinch, Tomoyo-chan's perceptive, she thought wryly.

"He just moved to town, and I met him a few days ago." She quickly lied.

"Really?" Tomoyo looked surprised, "I haven't heard of anybody around our age that moved here," Then she shrugged and in a stage whisper told Sakura, "Maybe he'll be in our class."

Sakura didn't thought about that maybe Syaoran will be in a different class. "Yeah, maybe," She said, "shall we go?"

And both girls entered the school building.

-

"Class, this is Li Syaoran, he just transferred here from Hong Kong." The teacher said.

"Yoroshiku. (2)" Syaoran bowed a little and stood straight again.

"Now, Li-san, you will sit…" The teacher examined the classroom, "behind Kinomoto-san. Kinomoto-san, please raise your hand."

Sakura did and lowered it immediately, smiling when Syaoran passed her.

-

After school, Sakura and Syaoran went to the mall to buy school supplies for Syaoran.

Sakura bought everything that Syaoran will need from a list and from time to time stopped to find him standing next to things like a ruler or an eraser or even a stapler and asking her what these things were. He seemed to be coolly fascinated by them.

Actually he acted coolly toward her all day, she reflected, but eventually dismissed it. Maybe Syaoran was just nervous about the school.

-

After three days Sakura discovered that it weren't nerves that were Syaoran problem.

They were in her room, she was sitting near her desk, working on homework, and Syaoran was sitting the carpet, doing the exact same thing. Neither had spoken.

The silence was starting to get to Sakura. It was the same kind of silence she had received in the last three days.

Finally, she snapped. "That's it!" She said and swiveled to look at Syaoran was looking at her coolly confused.

"Is something the matter?" He asked calmly. This calm and cool was also the same she had received from him in the last three days.

"Yeah, something is the matter, you!" She pointed at him accusingly. It was good to finally let out her frustration.

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes, you," She got up and started pacing the room, glaring at him from time to time as she spoke, "you've been giving me the cold shoulder from three days, you treat me like some sort of distant acquaintance of yours, answering everything with the same kind of tone! Why are treating me like this? I thought we were friends!" And with that she stopped, turned to him and folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot in annoyance. "Well?"

"We're not friends," He simply said.

Sakura gaped and stopped tapping her foot, "What?" She asked quietly.

"I mean, we can't be friends," He said, and for the first time in three days he lost that cool quality to his voice and Sakura recognized the Syaoran she had first met.

Sakura was confused and she just stood there, her arms no longer folded and at her sides, "Why not?" She asked.

"Because every master I befriended died." He said quietly and there was pain in his eyes.

Sakura now looked determined, "Okay, tell the whole story and I'll be the judge of that." She said firmly.

"Are you certain you want to hear it?" He asked.

"Yes." She said with finality.

"Just remember that it was you who wanted to hear this," He warned and took a deep breath.

"After my bottle was tossed to the Void, I ended up in your dimension, the Human World," He began his story.

"The Void?" Sakura asked.

"It the space between dimensions, there is nothing there so we call it the Void." Syaoran explained.

"Anyway," Hew continued, "my bottle was tossed here and landed in a village in the country of Japan. According to your time, that was over 500 years ago." He stopped when he saw Sakura eyes widen.

"500 years?" She said incredulously, "You were in the Sengoku Jidai! (3)"

"So you do know your history," He smiled wryly, "Yes, I was in the Sengoku Jidai." He said, "Shall I continue my story?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course." She said, still a little dazed.

"As I was saying, my bottle landed in a village in Japan, one of the villagers found it, and thought it would make a nice present for the Daimyo (4) who lived in the castle near the village. So, he gave the bottle to the Daimyo and he was the one who was the first to release me." He stopped and his eyes softened.

"The Daimyo's mane was Hiroshi and the clan he ruled was called Matsushiro. He was young, in his twenties and inherited his title only recently, because his father had died from disease. He was also married and had 2 sons, twins." Syaoran felt like he was reliving the past.

"At first, Hiroshi-sama thought I was a kami-sama of some sort, but when I explained to him who I was and why I'm here; he seemed to accept my story without questions. And so I stayed at Matsushiro Castle."

"Hiroshi-sama didn't treat his servants, Samurai or even me as people who were not his equal. He and his family have treated everyone as if they were a part of their family, and the people adored him. So it didn't take long for to befriend him."

In this he stopped and looked at Sakura, who was listening intently to his story, "Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Yes, please." She smiled, but stopped when she saw the Syaoran face had a bleak expression.

"Fine. As I was saying, I became friends with Hiroshi-sama. Everything seemed perfect and I no longer cared that I was imprisoned or not. Hiroshi-sama had said that I was like the brother he never had, and that I would always find a home in his castle. I thought life were perfect." His tone hardened, "I was wrong."

"What happened?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"On the last day of the three months, Hiroshi-sama said that he was going to release me and make me an official brother to him. I was very happy and couldn't wait to tell my parents when I get back. But fate had other plans. That night the castle was attacked by Samurai from a neighboring state, the castle was destroyed, most of the servants died, but finally, the Matsushiro clan was victorious. When I went to see Hiroshi-sama before midnight came, I saw that he was dead. He died from several arrows that hit his body in vital points. The last thing I was before I was sucked to my bottle was his wife, crying and holding the twins. I never saw them again."

Sakura had a feeling that this was only a part of his story, "That's not all, right?"

"No, that's not all," He said, "The next time I was released was in Meiji 10 (5), by a young man of nineteen called Wakahisa Arata." His eyes soften again.

"Arata-san was like you in a way, he also didn't want to be called 'sama' because he was only a farmer's son and recently employed in one of the offices in the government, working as a secretary to one famous statesman. He said that was his only to provide for him and his siblings because their parent had died from a fire a year before he met me. Arata-san was very happy to hear I was a genie and could he support his family, but he never exploited me. He was always kind and said that he also somehow imprisoned in his lifestyle, so that we were even."

"So I and Arata-san became friends, and I was like a second older brother to his siblings. Life was happy once more and I really thought that this time, when the three months will end, I would be free and live like this always, but I was wrong again." And again there was pain in his eyes.

"On the last day of the three months, late in the night, I and Arata-san were walking home. Arata-san was telling me that he got a promotion and from tomorrow we would live like kings. I was happy for him and just then, my bottle fell from his pocket. I got down to pick it up and heard a gunshot, I immediately looked up to see that Arata-san was face-down in the dirt, and a blood was seeping from his back. I looked around and saw his boss standing there, his gun pointing at our direction. I asked him why and he said the he discovered too much, and was no longer useful, and that Wakahisa enjoy his 'promotion'. I, at once, ran to the nearest clinic, but by the time it was midnight, Arata-san was no longer alive. The last thing I saw was his little brother and sister crying their eyes out. And now, more that a century later, you found me and here we are." He concluded he story.

Sakura just sat there, gaping at him, too speechless to speak. Finally she said," And because of this, you say we can't be friends?"

"We can't be friends, because I don't want to you die as well, and I don't think I will survive another death of a master who was close to me." Syaoran explained.

Sakura immediately shot up from her chair and stood there, hands curled to fist, every inch furious.

"You. Are. A. _Jerk_!" She said, emphasizing the last word. Syaoran looked surprised, and she continued, "Just because two men who were close to you had died, doesn't mean you have to shut me out too! I once lost someone who was dear to me, but did I went on mourning forever? No! I made friends, went out, faced my family, faced the world. It's true that it still hurts sometimes, but it doesn't eat me alive and I didn't shut off and I don't shut anyone out! So why are you?" And with that she jabbed her finger in his chest.

"Your first master died because there was a battle going on, why do you thing that era was called 'The Sengoku Jidai'!" She jabbed him again. "Your second master died because he worked for a corrupted politician, doesn't this thing used to happen in the Meiji Era, and even today it sometimes happen!" Another jab. "If you thing that because they befriended you, they signed their own death certificate and you're not only a jerk, you're also a jerk that disrespects them!" She gave him a final jab, and turned to open her bedroom door.

She turned around to looked at him; he was now more stunned than surprised and gaped at her.

"It's up to you to accept the past and move on. Think about what I said." And with that she closed the door, and went downstairs.

And around the corner yellow eyes blinked.

-

Syaoran just sat on the bed, staring at nothing. He thought about all that Sakura had said to him, every single word.

"Is it true? Do I really disrespect you, Hiroshi-sama, Arata-san?" He asked his former masters and friends, but knew they couldn't give him an answer.

Just then, the door opened and Syaoran looked toward it, but instead of Sakura, the one who came into the room was a cat, a very large orange cat, with bright yellow eyes. And he was looking directly at Syaoran.

_So you're the genie I was hearing about_, the cat began, and Syaoran heard him in his mind.

_Who are you?_ Syaoran asked in the same manner, Animal Telepathy was normal for Genies.

_My name is Kero, but I'm really called Cerberus_, The cat said, sounding a little annoyed by his name.

_'Cerberus'? Isn't that the three-headed dog from the…_

_That's beside the point! _Kero quickly interrupted, his full name was always a sore point, oh, why, did have to be named by such an ironic name by a 16-year-old!

_Than what is the point?_ Syaoran quickly asked. This cat was amusing.

_The point is: you experienced Sakura's fury. Do you think she was right in what she said?_ Kero asked and looked at the Genie.

_She was…_, Syaoran paused and thought. Now, looking back, he apparently let his emotions rule him, his masters' deaths was probably not his fault, maybe they could've died if he wasn't there to begin with.

"She's right." Syaoran said aloud, stunned.

_Thought so_, Kero said smugly, but Syaoran didn't hear him and Kero did hear Sakura coming back. _My work here is done_; He said and quickly left the room.

Sakura came through the door, not wondering why it was opened because years with Kero thought her that that cat can open any door.

She quickly went to stand in front of Syaoran who was now standing as well.

All she asked was, "Well?" and waited for his answer.

Syaoran looked at her and said, "You were right." And then he bowed, "I apologize."

"Don't be so formal," Sakura laugh as Syaoran stood straight once more. She extended her arm and smiled, "Friends?"

Since he became familiar with the hand-shaking habit in the Meiji Era, he didn't think I t was odd. He shook her hand and smiled as well, "Friends." He said with certainty.

-

A/N: And that it for this chapter.

Plese R&R!

Glossary:

(1) Second monday of January  
**Coming of Age (seijin no hi):**  
The coming of age of 20 year old men and women is celebrated.

(2)(gozaimasu) - pleased to meet you.

(3) Sengoku Jidai- literally: "the age of the country at war", the time period was 1338-1573. Taken from the same source as (1).

(4) Daimyo- A feudal lord who ruled the state he was in, he had Samurai that served under his leadership to protect him and his land against enemies.

(5) Meiji 10 -1877


	5. Chapter 4: First Wish

**A/N:** chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** CCS is not mine.

**Third Time's a Charm**

**Chapter 4: First Wish**

_He was standing in a garden._

_At first, he didn't recognize his surroundings but then he smiled as he saw the palace. He was home again._

_His sisters ran to him and squealed his name over and over and engulfed him in a bone-crushing group hug. He didn't even realize how he missed even that in all the years he was imprisoned._

_But then, a strong wind blew and it became dark. He began to get pulled back, like someone has caught him in a rope and is pulling him. He sisters had drifted away and away until all he could see was black. He knew that sensation, only too well. He was being sucked backed to his bottle. He looked up and saw the cold smile of the woman who had done this to him._

_"Have fun," She said, "Syaoran-kun," Her voice echoed…_

_"Syaoran-kun…"_

_"Syaoran-kun…"_

--

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called again and this time, Syaoran sat with a jolt and looked frantically around and then at her.

"I tried to wake you up since you looked as if you have a bad dream," Sakura explained, "Are you feeling all right?" She asked, worried.

Syaoran relaxed, and his shoulders sagged, he looked at Sakura and saw her worried expression, "I'm fine," He said, "I had a nightmare, that's all."

Sakura relaxed and got up from her kneeling position beside Syaoran's futon and for the first time, Syaoran realized that she was wearing her school's uniform.

"It's already morning?" He asked and looked towards the room's window and sure enough, he had to shield his eyes from the bright light.

"Yes, rise and shine," Sakura said.

--

"So what is this thing called?" Syaoran asked, holding something that looked like a piece of meat that was in the middle of a round bun.

"It's called hamburger," Sakura smiled, "Dad made these yesterday and I thought you'd like to try one."

They were at school, it was lunch time and Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol, were all gathered under a tree in the school grounds.

Syaoran examined the hamburger more closely, and looked at Sakura, "It's edible, right?"

Sakura chuckled at Syaoran's expression of obvious dubiousness, "Yes, it's edible," She assured him, "Try it."

Syaoran took an experimental bite, chewed and swallowed.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Well?" Sakura asked, knowing the answer.

"It's good," Syaoran said in wonder, "really good."

"Ah, the joys of junk food," Eriol teased, also holding one of the hamburgers Sakura brought.

"Why is it called junk when it's not?" Syaran asked, confused.

"That's just it, no one knows," Eriol answered, then scratched his chin in thought, "maybe it's a conspiracy."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, "To you, _everything_ is conspiracy." She said to Eriol.

Suddenly Sakura hit her fist on her other hand," That's right," She said in realization, "Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun," She turned to them, "can you come tomorrow to my place?"

"Sure," Tomoyo said.

"Yeah, why not," Eriol agreed, "only, why?" He asked.

"I want to come because Syaoran will be there too and there is something important I need to tell you." Sakura explained.

"What? What is so important?" Eriol asked, then his eyes widened, "Your not-" but he was stopped by Sakura who said, "No, Eriol, I'm not."

"How'd you know what I was going to say?"

"Eriol, I know you and Tomoyo since forever, so trust when I say that I what you were going to say." Sakura said.

"See," Eriol told Syaoran, "that's the problem with those two; they know me inside and out."

"It that a problem?" Syaoran asked.

"Only when you tease them." Eriol answered.

--

Syaoran materialized in Sakura's bedroom when school was over and everyone went home.

He opened his eyes and didn't Sakura, who usually would be there, waiting and start to chat about the day's events in school. So he opened her door and went down the stairs and sure enough she was there at the kitchen.

"What are doing?" He asked when he saw her in an apron.

"Pancakes." She replied and took ingredients from the refrigerator.

"The ones that look like flat cakes?" He asked, he tasted them before and they were really good.

"Yes, those are the exactly the ones." Sakura grinned at him and went back to her cooking, "you wanted something?" She looked up.

"Yes," He said and moved closer to see that she dumped the ingredients in the bowl and was now stirring it into white goo, "I wanted to ask, how long you knew Daidouji-san and Hiiragizawa-san?" He asked.

"Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun?" She asked, "Tomoyo-chan I have known since we were in diapers, our mothers were cousins, which makes her my second cousin," She explained, "do you have cousins?" She asked Syaoran.

He immediately thought of Meling and smiled, "Yes, I do have a cousin who is about my age, and she can be very stubborn, but very nice to be around," He said affectionately, and he remembered he hadn't seen his cousin for than a century and his smile quickly vanished, and turned back to Sakura, who didn't see the change in expression as she had to watch the stove.

"And what about Hiiragizawa-san?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Eriol-kun? We've known each other since kindergarten, been another brother to me ever since." She smiled warmly.

But when she turn another pancake and started on another topic, the phone rang, and she immediately turned off the stove, wiped her hands on her apron and walked quickly to the phone.

"Must be Dad or Onii-chan," She said over her shoulder to Syaoran and picked up the phone.

"Yes, Kinomoto residence. What? How bad is it? Oh, no…yes, thank you." And she put the phone down and stared straight ahead, not seeing a thing.

Syaoran walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned slowly toward him, green eyes staring in shock.

"What's wrong? What happened?" He asked her.

"It was from the hospital; my father was in a car crash and is badly injured. Onii-chan is on his way there…" Then she just collapsed on a chair and started crying.

"Kimonoto-san?" Syaoran asked hesitantly. He was used to his sisters and cousin crying but not this girl, who was always so full of energy.

She looked up at him with tear-stained eyes and simply said, "I don't want Dad to die, not like Mom, not again."

"How old were you when you lost your mother?" Syaoran asked and sat beside her on the chair next to hers.

"I was only three, so I don't really remember. But I _do_ remember that I was very sad, that everyone was very sad. My brother was ten at the time so I guess he and Dad were the ones who hurt the most." She just kept on babbling, so Syaoran decided to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Kimonoto-san, do you wish the accident didn't happen at all?" He said quietly and that had Sakura shutting up and looking in wonder at him.

"Of course I do, but you can't change the past…" She trailed off as she saw the grin on Syaoran's face, "…or can you?" She narrowed her eyes.

All he said and got himself and Sakura up from their sitting places, "Wipe your eyes, because after I'm done, you won't have a reason to cry."

Sakura wiped her eyes, and hold Syaoran hand.

"I hope you know what you're doing," She said to him.

"I do," He assured her, "now, where was the accident and what time?"

She gave him the name of the street and the directions and the time.

"Right," He finally said, "Hold on," He told Sakura and holding hands, they disappeared from the house…

--

…And reappeared on the street Sakura said.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked, blinking at the strong sunlight.

"We're at the street you told me and also in time of what will _not _happen." Syaoran answered, "Look." And he pointed toward the road.

Sakura looked and there was her father car in one lane and another car in the other.

The other car sped up the lane towards Fujitaka's car.

Syaoran started glowing green and his eyes also glowed. He had done Link Telepathy before, but on two people at once. He hoped it'll work.

He sent Fujitaka the message, _stop_, and at the same time sent the other driver the message, _left_.

"They're going to crash!" Sakura cried, not daring to look straight at the scene.

"No, they're not!" Syaoran assured her and he was right because in the next few minutes, Fujitaka did stop and pull over and the other driver veered left and an accident was prevented.

_Abort_, Syaoran finished the Link Telepathy and his went back to their usual color and the green glow around his body vanished and he turned to Sakura.

"You can open your eyes," He told her and she did and saw her father's car going by.

"Did history change?" She asked Syaoran.

He only smiled and said, "Let's go back." And they vanished again…

--

…To reappear at the kitchen again.

The phone rang, and Sakura looked at Syaoran.

"Answer it," He said.

She immediately went to pick up the receiver, "Kinomoto residence. Dad! Yes, I fine, are you okay? Great, what? Oh, nothing, just happy you're fine. Yes, I'm doing the pancakes right now. Yes, I love you too." And she put the receiver back and turned to look at Syaoran.

"He's fine, he's really okay…" She trailed off and ran to Syaoran and before he could register what was going on, she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him.

He heard her laugh and looked in confusion at her.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, confused.

"Because I'm so happy and also grateful to you," She told him and unwrapped her arms and eased back and wiped her eyes with her hand, "thank you." She said.

"But I only fulfilled your wish," Syaoran was stunned; his former masters never thanked him for fulfilling a wish, only when he had helped them willingly.

"And still, thank you." She repeated and smiled and her eyes widened, "from now on I'll only call you Syaoran, and you just call me Sakura, all right?"

He didn't why, but he blushed and said quietly, "Fine, Kino-I mean, Sakura-san."

She squeezed his hand in a friendly way and said, "Well, now, I still have pancakes to help, want to help?"

"Uh, sure." He figured he looked into these strange sensations that were now fluttered in his stomach later.

--

-Meanwhile, in the Genie Realm-

"You found where he is?" She asked.

"Yes, we'll contact him sooner than he expects," He grinned.

--

A/N: And that it for chapter 4!


End file.
